The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-19
CHARLESTON GOSSIP.
Getting Ready for the Municipal Con-
test in December.

| ISSJ III DcCcLuOcI'
CHARLESTON, Sept. 17.-The old City by
the Sea has had an abundance of excite
ment this week We are still wrestling
with the railroad freight discrimination,
and now that public attention has been
called to it, fresh cases of ruinous discrim-
nations are brought to light every day.
| We are still also talking about new steam
ship line to New York, although we are not
subscribing any money as yet for its estab-
! lishment. In the meantime our friends the
enemy-the Clydes-have put ON an extra
steamship, the Gulf Stream, which they
said would have to come here in ballast and
at loss to them. The Clydes are now talk
| ing about putting on another extra ship.
| All of which goes to show that there is
! really plenty of business for a daily line
between Charleston and New York.
Cotton is coming into Charleston now at
rate never before known, and yet there
| is not single square rugged sailing vessel
| in port. On the other hand there are ten
ocean tramps in port all loading with cotton
and who will take $4,000 bales and there is
fleet of six or seven more on the way.
These are expected to arrive next week.
CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR.
With all these things and with the gala
week thrown in another excitement has
occurred during the week which is destined
to occupy very large share of public at
tention for the next three months. The
| municipal campaign has been already OPEN
| ed. The readers of the MORNING NEWS
| will remember that it has been always stated
in this correspondence that Mayor Courte-
nay would under no circumstances be
candidate for reelection. The statement was
made on the highest possible authority, that
of Mayor Courtenay himself. Still very few
persons outside of the MAYORS most intimate
friends believe it, The fact is that Mayor
Courtenay has done SO much for the city
that the city could scarcely bring itself to
realize an administration without him
Capt. George d. Bryan, at present corpo-
ration counsel, will be candidate Thus
far Capt. Bryan is the only nomination that
has been definitely made, although there are
at least half dozen more leading citizens
who have the Mayors bee in their bonnets.
The fight promises to be a lively one.
There are already three distinct parties in
the field, not counting the Democratic
party, which will, of course, elect its candi-
date. The old enemy, the Republicans,
have come to life in the Republican Protec
tive Union, a new organization, which, how
ever, has no strength. Its leaders are young
negroes of the most ignorant class, whose
| only recommendation to consideration is the
fact that they were too young to have had
any connection with tie old Republican
ring in this State. They hope to form an
alliance with one or two sore-headed ele-
ments in the Democratic party, but will
probably find themselves badly left.
Then we have the United Labor party.
formed under the auspices of Henry George
and DR.. McGlynn, and engineered here by
white crank, supported by two or three
other notorious cranks This concern will
recruit almost entirely among the negroes.
Next in order is the new deal Democratic
party, which is also engineered by cranks.
A meeting of this concern was held during
the week, and queer meeting it was, too.
There were about 100 persons in the hall,
most of them factory operatives. The en-
tire business of the meeting was formulated
by one Mr.. Franklin, somewhat prominent
in Knights of Labor circles. Mr.. Franklin
elected the chairman and secretary, made
all the speeches, arranged and adopted the
platform, and finally tried to take up a col
lection to raise the 81 80 for the hall rent
The platform, for Democratic platform,
is one of the queerest of its kind. 1t de-
| clares in favor of a protective tariff and
the abolition of the internal revenue. 1t
denounces Cleveland and the convict law
system, and is in favor of exempting from
| taxes for five years all houses rented to poor
people. 1t also asks for the enforcement of
the usury law as to house rents by restrict
ing the rent to such figures as will pay the
| property holder per cent. on the assessed
value of the property.
y
| the city at its back, and is trying to operate
on the ranks of the Democratic party 1t
| will probably succeed in sending Mr. Frank
| lin to the Democratic nominating conven-
| tion, to represent the Ninth ward. Mr..
Franklin has already been in one coDven-
| tion representing the Knights of Labor,
and distinguished himself by failing to OBJ
tain representation on the legislative
| ticket, when any other man would have
| found no trouble in doing 50, because there
is great respect for the labor element here,
and no one would object to their having
| representatives of their own selection either
in the Legislature or in the City Council.
These are the parties thus far
| developed. The three combined do not
amount to row of pins politically. The
| fight for the Mayoralty will be conducted
strictly within the Democratic party and
| neither the New Dealers, nor the United
Laborers, nor the Republican Protective
Union, will have a word to say on the sub
ject. The New Dealers will probably be
ruled out of the party unless they repudiate
Mr. Frankhns platform, which it should be
stated was crammed down their Threats
without their knowing much about it.
WHEN THE ELECTION OCCURS.
The election does not take place until late
in December, and it is of course impossible
to name the successful candidate as vet
Still it is not too early to say that Capt.
Bryan Is the coming candidate, as things
look now. He is representative young
Charlestonian, is familiar with public
affairs. having been the legal adviser of the
city for eight years, and has strong per-
sonal following. Young, talented popular,
honest upright, with good address, and
heart that is always in the right place, he
combines all the elements of success. He
has been at the head of the Democratic
party in the city for years and has led them
to victory through some hard struggles. No
one who has been named as yet could defeat
him before the people.
This is the situation at present. The poll
teal squirt this week is only spora lie,
Charleston will not consent to go into a
political canvass now. We have the freight
determinations, the New York steamships
and the gala week on hand. These will re-
quire all our attention, and these having
been disposed of, we will then be ready to t
down on the New Dealers. and the United
Laborers, and the Protective Union, and elect
a Mayor who will be a fit successor to our
Courtenay, who will carry on the work that
has been mapped out by the best Mayor